SHADOW MUSIC
By
Helaine Mario
SYONOPSIS
Late in the Cold War, a young woman escapes from Communist
Hungary, vanishing into the night with a priceless painting and a baby girl,
setting in motion a decades-old secret that will change lives for generations
to come.
Many years later, classical pianist Maggie O'Shea is drawn to
Cornwall in search of a long-lost Van Gogh and the truth behind her husband's
death. A journal from World War II Paris holds many of the answers, but only
two people know where the Van Gogh is hidden now—a courageous nun and a man
presumed dead.
Set against the backdrop of the international music and art world,
Maggie finds herself on a collision course with three dangerous Russians who
threaten all she holds dear—including her life and the life of the man she has
come to love.
Rachmaninoff's Concerto No. 2 is at the heart of this story that
strikes the chords of every human emotion. Past and present converge in this
haunting tale of loss, courage, vengeance and love.
REVIEW
My first “Maggie” novel was The Lost Concerto. Helaine invited me to read the beautiful work
several years ago and I dove into a world of music, art, and love wrapped in
skillful intrigue that had me mesmerized and lost to the world outside the
pages of the book. I cried because it
ended. The second novel, Dark
Rhapsody was no less compelling and I am in the midst of rereading it
as I want to revisit several of the lines of intrigue and look closer at how
the characters have developed and grown with the telling of their stories.
Shadow Music reminded me of why this series cherishes precious
space on my Much Loved Shelf in my library. Not many books can reach in and strike the
deep chords that allow the reader to identify on so many levels with the
characters in a book. Helaine has
accomplished this with me in this series.
Maybe it is because I am a pianist, but the music literally floats
up off the pages of the book and around the room and my body physically aches
with Maggie’s as she lifts her head from the keyboard. The
same plays for the artistic descriptions and the art history background that
she weaves into the story. Only someone
who has lived and breathed in this world could fully understand the true depth
of how well Helaine spins the picture so that we all can get a full sense of
the breadth of emotion and physical commitment a creative person devotes to
their craft.
Helaine’s characters are not flat or two dimensional. They full-bodied and complex. They are not always who you first perceive
them as, and there is not a character in the book that can be easily skimmed
over. Each one is complex and has a
multi dimensioned place in the story.
Interwoven with all this is an intricate, twisted plot of evil vs.
good that twists over generations and across continents and countries that
leaves the reader breathless and their head spinning. Life is interconnected. Only a brilliant, creative mind could pull a
consistent thread through such a tangled web and keep a focus on it all. Helaine did just that and takes us along for
the wild ride and barely allows us to breathe.
I have read the classics, the old greats, the new. There are authors that write books. Those that write novels. Those that write
stories. Then there are authors that
make the pages sing, that make the reader a part of the story. They draw you in and immerse you in the world
they have created out of letters and words.
They drown you in the world they have created and don’t allow you, the
reader, back out until the last words of “The End” come floating up off the
page. This is Helaine Mario. This is Shadow Music. Discover it for yourself.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Helaine Mario is the author of four novels of suspense.
Firebird (Amazon 2012) is a stand-alone Cold War suspense novel. The three
novels in the Maggie O'Shea Classical Music Mystery series are The Lost
Concerto (Oceanview Publishing, July 2015), Dark Rhapsody (Oceanview
Publishing, July 2018), and Shadow Music (Oceanview Publishing, September
2021).
New York City born and raised, Helaine is a Boston
University graduate. She married in 1969 and moved to Connecticut to raise her
two children, volunteer at Save the Children, and write for the local
newspaper.
In 1985, Helaine’s life took an unpredictable turn when her
husband’s career brought her family to Potomac, Maryland. For all eight years
of the Clinton Presidency, she was a White House volunteer for Tipper and Al
Gore, and continues to be a passionate advocate for public service and women
& children’s issues.
Because Helaine believes strongly in “giving back,” she has
worked on several non-profit boards and, in 1998, founded The SunDial
Foundation, Inc., which benefited our most vulnerable women, children and
families for 20 years. She also created Project PJs, offering new books, bears
and pajamas to under-served children in the community. Now, the Helaine and
Ronald Mario Fund continues to support some 40 charities. All royalties from
book sales go to programs that support reading programs and the well-being of
children and families.
Helaine and her husband, Ron, now spend their time in
Arlington, Virginia—where she continues her advocacy work—and Cape May, New
Jersey.
She is grateful to be a cancer survivor and is most proud of
her two children and five beautiful grandchildren. Her son, Sean, is the
pianist who inspired the classical music background in The Lost Concerto.
When it comes to writing, Helaine wants, more than anything,
to tell a good story, create characters with depth, and paint pictures with
words. To make people feel. She wants to be a storyteller forever.
BOOK
Author Helaine Mario trailer and availability
